Blessed are those who hunger and thirst


“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6)


Why Does our Faith Remain Stagnant?

Probably the most common worry or nagging dilemma for those of us who have been Christians for quite a long time is “Why does my faith remain stagnant and not grow in line with the years I have been a Christian?” Even the smallest hardship causes us to be overwhelmed with anxiety. As a Christian we must be faithful in prayer come rain or come shine. We often tell ourselves this year, I’m going to read the Bible all the way through, but fail in our attempts.

Sometimes we think if someone rather spoon feeds us that may be better. Many pastors know this struggle of the average Christian and so encourage the faithful to force themselves to do Bible study or join a prayer group; he even goes as far as rewarding in a corporate ceremony those who have been faithful in the above. This is not a bad thing for the Christian but often results in many different benefits. But to give my confession, I rarely force anyone to do “stuff” in the church- to join a Bible study or a prayer meeting. And so from time to time I wonder if I am neglecting the spiritual struggle that many lay people go through or that I am blocking God’s blessing for the congregation.

I am sure that part of that is because I am lazy and not too strict in my personality, but in all honesty, the Bible itself does not force faith upon people. God seeks those “who worship in truth and in Spirit” (John 4:23). “His salvation is near those who fear Him” (Psalm 85:9). God is good and ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for those who cry out to Him (Psalm 86:5). He rewards those who willingly seek Him out in truth. Forcing, hypocrisy, falseness, manipulation, blackmailing should never be a part of the vocabulary in the relationship between God and the faithful.

How about you? Is your faith strong and are you a steadfast prayer? Do you desire to know the word in depth? Or are you somewhere in between, lukewarm in your devotion? You try so hard to read the Scriptures and pray in response even if for just a couple of minutes every day but has that ever lasted for the long run?        

How to Lead a Donkey to Drink Water.

Our text speaks of the blessing allotted for the Christian who is hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Perhaps this passage can help clear up our little dilemma. They say you can drag a donkey to the brook but you can’t make it drink from it. The reason is not because the donkey is so stubborn beyond all other animals nor that the owner is unskilled in handling the animal. There is only one reason and that is if it is not thirsty, it will not drink water no matter what trick you have up your sleeve.

This is the same for us Christians. When we thirst spiritually, we obviously drink living water supplied by God, and as a result we grow. But who among Christians does not desire to mature in their faith? Does not every Christian have a thirst to get to know God better? Yet the reason why we are stunted in their growth is because we have a wrong conception of what that “thirst” is
We think of “thirst” as merely a desire that has reached the max. For instance a person who is walking through a heat scorched desert whose throat is parched not merely desires to drink water, but “thirsts” after water more than life itself. We feel that one can increase this desire or “thirst” for God and try hard to maintain this “thirst”. We try reading the Bible everyday, 5 chapters per day to go through the whole book in a year, praying at least 30 minutes a day, and reminding oneself through Post It notes everywhere. Yet it all comes to naught after merely three days.

After this we tend to think that we failed because we tried our best yet was alone in our efforts. So we try to force ourselves to attend all kinds of revival meetings, praise and worship nights, testimonials, healing services, and 40 days of early morning prayer. Yet the result is the same after two or three days, we are back to our old habits. That is why we desire rather that the pastor force the congregation to the church and teach us; it seems that living at church every day is the only solution. The pastor knows this therefore he encourages the congregation to be zealous for any church events.

Simply put, thirst does not rise just because we desire it. Thirst is different than mere desire. That is to say one cannot produce thirst out of their own effort or sheer willpower. Thirst is merely a basic instinct. It is merely a natural reaction to our bodies lacking water within. It’s only natural that when you haven’t had anything to eat you are hungry and when you haven’t drunk any water, you are thirsty.

Moreover a basic instinct is something that can only be felt and filled by the individual. The reason why one can lead a donkey to the brook yet cannot make it drink its water is that a third person cannot force to arise what is a basic instinct within the donkey.

God Saves by a Spider’s Web.

Cappadocia, Turkey is famous for its many limestone caves. There is a story associated with one of its small caves. A Christian during the times of the Early Church was fleeing from the Roman soldiers. If caught he would become food for lions in the coliseum. Therefore he ran with all his might to the top of the mountain and hid in one of its caves. As the Roman soldiers continued their pursuit, the man lay hidden at the end of the cave and prayed desperately to God to save his life.

Even still the footsteps of the soldiers drew closer and closer and its destination seemed headed towards the cave. He kept on praying that either the soldiers head another way, give up on the search altogether because of exhaustion, meet some wild animal and be killed, or fall off a cliff and die. But no matter how hard he prayed it didn’t seem to make a difference.

He knew there was no way out and gave up. That was when he saw a huge spider appear near the entrance to the cave and start building a web. After seeing this he started to complain in his heart, “God there are tens of soldiers coming at me with swords and spears, what good would a spider’s web do? Why don’t you rather close the entrance with a stone?”

The spider finished its work about the same time the soldiers arrived in front of the cave. What do you think happened? The soldiers said unto themselves, “There is no way that a person could be inside this cave with this spider’s web blocking the way. Let’s go somewhere else.” If someone hurriedly went into a cave blocked by a spider’s web, there would be holes everywhere, giving obvious clues that there was a person inside. Even if rocks were used to block the entrance, one can easily tell by their placement whether a person has placed them or not. In contrast a perfectly undisturbed spider web shows that no one has ever entered into the cave.

What do you suppose happened to this man’s remaining days? We do not know whether he has accomplished great feats for the Church, or that he was finally captured and martyred. But one thing is clear. After this even if the most grim event came his way, rather than being afraid he would have faced it with prayer and a strong trust that God was going to deliver him.    

In that crucial instance where there is no way out no matter how one searches to the left or to the right, when one is standing at the very edge of a cliff that even a small child who taps him with the finger would send the man in a downward spiral to the ground God did an amazing work that only He can do to save this man. God made the man realize albeit it be through a near death experience that He never neglects those who sincerely and wholeheartedly seek His help.

There are Two Kinds of Waters

Many Christians simply believe that when they desire God’s grace and pray fervently that their faith will become stronger and their spirituality richer. Yet thirst for God is not the same as a mere increase in desire. In what situation would a person be most thirsty? Probably one who has been shipwrecked and hanging on a plank without food or water for several days in the tropical seas. There is water all around him. Everywhere he turns there is the vast ocean of water.

But he knows that if he drinks that water, he will be even thirstier and die of dehydration. In contrast if by chance there is a tropical rain, he would open his mouth like a hippopotamus towards the sky and drink all the water that he can. He will try like a crazy man to catch all the rain drops that fall with his mouth. They are both waters but the ocean water is a poison that leads to death, while the rain water is a lifesaver that brings strength.

The reason why one is not thirsty is not because one has not tried hard enough. A person who has just run a couple of laps around the track field no matter how many gallons of sea water are placed before him will never think to drink that water. One must be assured of the taste and benefits of water in order for the thirst to arise. In the same way in our faith life the reason why we lack strength and have no taste for reading the word is not because of anything else, but that we do not know properly nor have tasted the goodness of God.

When is prayer easiest? Is it in your early morning devotional, after having disconnected the phone lines? Rather it is usually when there is a hardship that we cannot overcome on our own and we’re in all kinds of suffering that our prayers flow naturally from us whenever and wherever we are. Sometimes without even us knowing, the words “Help me Lord!” burst out of us.

Although Jesus asked us not to babble on like pagans we continue to ask Him to help us for hours on end to resolve this issue (This is not quite babbling on). Even while at work we might continue to pray. And the reading of the word that we had failed to do in the past comes naturally to us even if there is no one forcing us to do it. We keep the Bible near our bed stand and continue going back to it time and time again.

We may even just open up any page and skim at the first verse we see. But the amazing thing is even when we have used the Bible like a horoscope, we receive much comfort in that circumstance. It is as if that verse speaks a thousand words into our souls and our situation.

That is why when we meditate on that word and desperately ask that we may be set free from our current suffering, surprisingly God answers us. That is because the heart of the one who is praying has been filled only with God; he has a desperate hunger for Him only. Moreover this may be God’s way of bringing the person closer to Him, the God who counts even our hairs. God is helping the believer to realize bit by bit how rich and good is the power and the grace given us to meditate on the word and pray.

Thirst Precedes Decisions

A person suffering from stage four cancer who just received the final word that there is no recovery for him, will get down on his knees as a last resort though he may not be Christian. Let’s say for instance that the person did desperately cry out to God and as a result experienced a miraculous healing. Then how will that person respond? No doubt he is going to dedicate the rest of his life to the Lord.

Do you think that his decision to give his life over to the Lord came first? Or do you think that his assurance that God was alive and knew him, that there is nothing in this world that can save us except God came first? No doubt it is the latter. In other words the hope to be healed from cancer, that is “thirst” for healing came first, then the miraculous healing came later. It is only after one experiences the “grace” of God that they come to a willful “decision” to give his life to the Lord.

But many Christians try to do exactly the opposite. They try to willfully decide that they are going to be zealous in their faith and then hope that God will give them the grace to thirst after Him in their hearts. A Christian must become so naturally inclined to desire the goodness and righteousness of God to fill his entire being, so much so that later on he cannot live without such intimacy daily. Without this thirst first then there is no grace.

The Bible tells us that we are to be thankful in all circumstances, pray ceaselessly, and be joyful always. In other words prayer is a kind of breathing exercise in which we desire in our souls to be filled with God’s Spirit at every moment. Prayer is not merely turning those great and urgent issues that that burden us over to God as if He is some genie in a lamp.

Christians often say “I’m a deacon who has attended church for over ten years but have yet to get rid of the smoking and drinking habit… I have not yet read the Bible once… I still shake and tremble when called to pray in front of the congregation…When will I become mature in faith?” But this is not the right way of thinking.

What are we equating being faithful with? Only whether we could pray confidently before a congregation and how much we can quote from the Bible. Should a person become a deacon merely because he has attended the church over ten years? The green light to hold any church position has become quitting cigarettes and alcohol. In other words praying fervently, memorizing the Bible verse by verse, and not drinking and smoking has become a kind of “good and faithful Christian” badge that one wears around their chest. They neglect therefore the “more important matters”. They have no awareness of how much the power of God’s holiness has on their lives. God has merely become an accessory to their religiosity.  

Faith is not feeding oneself with some noble ideology or memorizing some complex doctrine. Simply put it is a thirst and hunger for God. The greater the thirst the greater the faith and vice versa. The hunger to receive every one of God’s blessing that He has in store for His children- His omnipresence, omnipotence, goodness, kindness, help, guidance, comfort, healing, forgiveness, salvation- is what faith is. Picture a person who was dying of thirst in the middle of the sea look up at the sky with his mouth wide open, trying to catch all the rain drops that fall all around hm.  That is a picture of thirsting after God. Such a person has a thirst that no one can restrain, not even himself. He does not need to force it out of himself. Faith is to seek God with such a hunger. And out of that hunger we naturally pray and read the word.

The God-addicted Christian

If there is a word that describes most accurately our thirst for God, though it may be slightly odd to put it this way, it would be “addiction”. A believer in God is someone who is addicted to God. Just as desperately an addict needs his drug, so we need God just as much.

Believing in Jesus is not trying one’s best to adhere to a set of Christian doctrine. It is to be consumed and captivated with the love that God has for us like an addict. It is to taste and know the grace of God, how He sent His One and Only Son to the cross to forgive our sins and bring new life. It is to know and experience that there is His holy and eternal plan He is working out for us every day, step by step. He came to us first who were at one time slaves to our sins and the devil, neglecting, betraying and cursing God, in order that He may cleanse us by the blood of His Son.

Our text says that the fourth blessing we Christians enjoy as “hunger and thirst after righteousness”. We do not need to think of God’s righteousness as something way over our heads. It is His love displayed through Christ on the cross. Jesus is telling us that those who maintain that constant thirst, those who are addicted to that love are truly blessed. No matter what kind of hardships, trials, and tribulations come our way; no matter what persons, sins, or Satan may try to tempt us and oppose our paths, so much so that we are led to cross the valley of the shadow of death, we must thirst to seek after God with the full assurance that He will come and deliver us. Then God will never neglect or disappoint us. Is there a greater blessing than this?

What was the blessing that came right before this fourth blessing? It was the blessing of meekness. What did that blessing signify? It meant that in whatever circumstance being so sure of God’s awesome presence we are able to let go of worries and anxieties and rather be anchored firmly in our faith. In other words it meant having tasted to the full God’s goodness and mercy. What happens then as a result? We cannot help but seek after God’s love. We become hungry and thirsty for God. For we have become addicted to His love.

The first thing to do to make a donkey drink water is not to lead it to the stream. The easiest solution is to not give any water to it for a long time. Then take it near the stream. You probably would not even need to lead it, but it will run along head first by itself into the stream.

Are any among you suffering from trials and tribulations you just can’t overcome by your own strength? Yes it is important to endure with faith and to contend with prayer for God’s deliverance. But that is not the urgent priority. First we must become meek. We must be assured that even such trials are a part of God’s perfect and eternal plan for us. In other words like the master of the donkey who is withholding the water purposefully, so God is creating in us a thirst after Him.

What do you think is on God’s schedule next? Of course it is to lead us “beside quiet waters” (Psalms 23). God has already prepared the living water that can only come from Him, that when one drinks of it will never thirst again. That does not mean that there will no longer be any tribulations after the Christian drinks of this water. No. But God’s love is so great that nothing will matter more to us than being addicts to His love; everything else will seem insignificant, even our trials and tribulations.

Therefore He makes us continuously hungering and thirsting after righteousness. That is why the living water Jesus offers is not one that after drinking it we will never thirst again. Ironically it is water that will fill us with an eternal thirst after God. Only then will we seek the water that comes from Him and Him only.

Have you ever thirsted after the cleansing that comes through the blood of Jesus Christ as if you were addicted? And now as a result have you been addicted to God’s love that you continue to thirst for more? If so you are living the life of faith that every Christian should live. Your being has changed so that it has become like second nature for you to kneel and hunger for the word.

There is no other way but to hunger after God for us to reach a maturity in our faith. Thirst is not a mere willful desire, but a real, live experience. Those who have truly experienced the love of God will no doubt thirst for more of Him.

11/29/2011